The World of Star Trek

David Gerrold wrote a great book about the original Star Trek series in 1984. This is unusual because most of the books written about the show or based on the Star Trek are total drivel. They often feature hypothetical blueprints for transporters or ray guns, dull stories about Cap'N Picard chasing Borg out of his shirt sleeves or even worse: Kirk re-wrestling a Gorn he'd already drop kicked in the scaly green snout twenty years ago - really uninspired genre stuff. I think the operational logic behind this concept in mass publishing trade paperbacks is: "%@*# 'em! They'll buy anything". Hey, maybe they're right. Abdom-o-sizers, blue Pith Helmets emblazened with Dr. Who logos and Snuggies featuring Twilight characters don't exactly sell themselves. As a counterpoint to consumer vapidity, in 1984 David Gerrold, the writer of The Trouble With Tribbles and frequent contributor to the series, sat down to write an intelligent account of the years of development and the strain of production. His book details the unique individuals involved in the first real sci-fi series on American network television. The novel is both a documentary of the series and actors as well as a sometimes wry and sometimes light-hearted look at writing for television and writing in general. Although The World Of Star Trek is a hard to find classic is a great book accompanied with 100 production and PR photos from the three years Star Trek was actually on the air prior cancellation by brilliant NBC executives. The show's ressurrection, through the wonders of syndication, has driven interest in pointy ears and befuddling electronic gadgetry to an all-time high.

David Gerrold chronicles the beginnings of Star Trek, as well as its growing pains, and its evolution up to and including "The Search for Spock." This is an insider's look at the show, with a great deal of discussion on what Gene Roddenberry had in mind: the characters as they came to him, how the USS Enterprise came about, and the constraints that a commander would have to work under in deep space. Just getting a show, any show past treatment form to the executives is tough enough; despite Roddenberry's proven track record as a creator and writer, this one was not an easy sell, as Gerrold points out. The network was not pleased with the creation of Spock, nor did they like the idea of a woman being First Officer (Majel Barrett, the later Nurse/Dr. Chapel and Mrs. Roddenberry). It was either the alien or the woman, and one had to go. Gerrold also points out the scientific errors, such as people falling out of their chairs (MIT students can do a better than us of explaining it), and there's other holes big enough to drive Enterprise-E through, but Star Trek was also supposed to be fun in its own way. Actors, writers, and many of the behind the scenes people speak openly and freely about their experience, and all agree it was one they'd trade for nothing. Gerrold also pays tribute to the determined efforts of Bjo Trimble, the lady who pretty much single-handedly saved the show from extinction after season two. He looks into the fans themselves, and how their love of the show translated into their real lives. All in all, a book I've read and enjoyed many times. The show will never die, no matter what.

As someone who viewed the original Star Trek series when it aired for the first time, I can be considered an original Trekkie. While the science segment of the science fiction was often weak, the ideas and the vision for the future that it represented extended beyond what anyone could have imagined at the time. It represented a future where humanity had finally been able to end the conflicts on Earth, build a mighty fleet of star ships and find species on other planets that became allies. However, the future was not altogether rosy. In episodes such as "The Space Seed" there were allusions to a ghastly, incredibly destructive nuclear war on Earth. It was hinted that this was the event that finally galvanized the human race to end conflict and join together. There were also the continuous conflicts between the Federation and the Romulans and Klingons. However, while there was the mention of a brutal war having been fought between the Federation and the Romulans, war is averted in the two episodes where the Enterprise and the Romulans meet. Gerrold was the writer of "The Trouble With Tribbles" considered by many to be the best episode in the original series. He takes us behind the scenes in the creation, piloting and filming of the original series. He pulls no punches in his description of Star Trek, describing the strengths and weaknesses of the series. When something was done poorly, he explains that some of the failures were a consequence of the time. The late sixties was a time when women and minorities were not given strong roles, what you see in the original series was ground-breaking for the times. Any attempt to go any farther than what was done was blocked. Gerrold also mentions how the show began to show signs of fatigue, as the story lines began to be repeated in an attempt to save money. Star Trek was a high budget show, so there was every attempt to save production costs, often to the detriment of the show. Finally, Gerrold also describes the development of the first three Star Trek feature movies and the fits and starts that took place before the first one was ever made. Given the success of the series of Star Trek movies, it is amazing to read how much time and effort it took to get the first one made. Gerrold has an insider's view of the Star Trek phenomenon and he tells his stories very well. If you want to go beyond the basics of the series and learn something about how things were really done, then this is a book you need to read.

One of the first books written about the behind the scenes activities of TOS. Pictures, interviews, and anecdotes from the original production run.

"The World of Star Trek" is a masterpiece! With episodes, interviews, pictures, and TONS of information about the cast, sets, makeup, etc., it's no wonder that it's my favorite Star Trek book. I highly suggest that any Star Trek-or even science fiction in general-fan should READ THIS BOOK!